I. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a self stowable rack, useful for drying pasta, which can be mounted as a fixture in a kitchen; it also concerns the mounted rack, and a method of drying pasta.
II. Known Art and Problems
Various rack contrivances are known, among which include those particularly adapted for drying pasta and those adapted for other uses. See, Duggan, U.S. Pat. Des. No. 267,768; Dahlquist, U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,954; Wilhite, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,329; Raye, Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,221; and Chef's Catalog, 1998, page 73, "The Best Pasta Drying Rack!"
The foregoing represent free standing racks. Unfortunately, when in use in the kitchen, such racks take up valuable counter space, and when not in use, such racks present a separate stowage problem. Another difficulty encountered with the use of such racks is that pasta noodles when cut, particularly when cut by a kitchen pasta machine, must be handled to put the noodles on the rack to dry. This manual operation often results in clumping, which, if the noodles are to dry properly, separate one from another, requires another step of separation of the clumped noodles, which may be a "sticky" problem to overcome.
It would be desirable to ameliorate if not overcome such problems. It also would be desirable to do so with simplicity.